1978 Tournament Players Championship
The 1978 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 16–19 at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. The fifth Tournament Players Championship, it was the second at Sawgrass and Jack Nicklaus won his third TPC title at 289 (+1), one stroke ahead of runner-up Lou Graham. Both shot 75 (+3) in the windy final round and Nicklaus went without a birdie.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 16–19, 1978 |
| Location | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 30.189°N 81.370°W |
| Course(s) | Sawgrass Country Club, East-West course |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,174 yards (6,560 m) |
| Field | 142 players, 79 after cut |
| Cut | 153 (+9) |
| Prize fund | $344,270 |
| Winner's share | $60,000 |
| Champion | |
| Jack Nicklaus | |
| 289 (+1) | |
| Location map | |
Sawgrass CC Location in the United States Sawgrass CC Location in Florida | |
This was the fourth consecutive start for Nicklaus in 1978 that ended with a top-two finish: two wins and two second places. Four months later in July, he won his third Open Championship to become the first to win the TPC and a major title in the same calendar year, later joined by Hal Sutton (1983, PGA), Tiger Woods (2001, Masters), and Martin Kaymer (2014, U.S. Open).
Defending champion Mark Hayes finished eleven strokes back, in a tie for 28th place.